International Sanctions

A disruption in the flow of Russian gas to Europe this year is suddenly all too easy to imagine.Europe’s natural-gas supply seems a lot less secure even than a few weeks ago. Last month, Moscow said it would end deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria, and the stakes rose again this week, after Ukraine’s gas-transport operator said it would stop transporting Russian gas through a key part of the country’s network. This prompted Moscow to sanction 31 European energy companies. Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is Europe’s primary…

The European Union is struggling to finalize the terms of an oil embargo on Russia amid resistance by Hungary, whose leader claimed Friday that the proposed embargo would hit his economy like an atomic bomb.Prime Minister Viktor Orban has long cultivated close ties with Moscow and hasn’t joined other EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries in trying to arm Ukraine. He is insisting on more time and EU money if Hungary is to join the rest of the bloc in transitioning away from…

HONG KONG—Chinese tech companies are quietly pulling back from doing business in Russia under pressure from U.S. sanctions and suppliers, despite calls by Beijing for companies to resist overseas coercion.Several major companies are curtailing shipments in Russia, where Chinese tech firms dominate the market for many products, without making any public announcements, according to interviews with people familiar with the matter. They include PC giant Lenovo Group Ltd. and smartphone and gadget maker Xiaomi Corp., the…

The nearly nonstop series of new U.S. sanctions being levied in a bid to halt Russia’s war machine have complicated events for companies facing their own external threat: ransomware attacks.The ever-lengthening lists of sanctioned entities pose risks to U.S. companies that want to pay to get their systems back online after an attack, experts said. Ed McNicholas, co-leader of the cybersecurity practice at law firm Ropes & Gray LLP, said ensuring that ransomware payments aren’t going to…